Anyone who has spent any amount of time around large bodies of salt or fresh water quickly becomes acutely aware of the problems associated with the natural tendency of marine birds such as seagulls, terns, pelicans and the like to seek elevated perches such as pilings upon which to roost for long periods of time.
An attendent and unavoidable consequence of such long term and repetitive roostings is an accummulation of droppings on the pilings, which is not only unattractive, but extremely unsanitary and potentially hazardous from a public health standpoint.
In addition to the foregoing problems, the frequent users of the piers and docks also find their useful enjoyment of these facilities severely curtailed by the droppings, from the standpoint of their particular recreational or functional requirements.
From a functional standpoint boat owners are constantly faced with having their mooring lines exposed to the droppings anytime that they secure their lines to a piling.
From a recreational standpoint no one likes to spend leisure time fishing, crabbing, or sunning surrounded by pilings that have been fouled by droppings, not to mention the fact that the pilings themselves are rendered unfit for use as resting places for people or equipment.
While anti-roosting and protective piling devices have long been recognized in the prior art as evidenced by the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,292,319; 2,142,371; 2,258,803; 2,298,194; and, 2,304,593, up until the development of the present invention, there had been a long felt pressing need for an apparatus that would not only frustrate marine birds from roosting on the pilings; but would also not drastically alter the traditional appearance of the pilings; and, could in some instances preserve the use of the pilings almost exclusively for human as opposed to avian needs.